Pole’s 2nd Darbepoetin jab and the uremia

After two days of a slight glimmer of hope where Pole was exploring the house and even going upstairs, she was very down again today.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to feed her now. I’ve tried various types of food and even coconut water, but nothing works.

Today was Pole’s check-up. I decided to spare her the blood test as we already know her condition is worsening. Instead, I requested the vet to give her supportive treatment to help her feel better.

An ear-prick blood test was done, though, and from the looks of it, Pole’s blood is still very watery. There were very little red blood cells and more white ones which indicate that there is still some infection.

Pole was given her 2nd Darbepoetin jab and a B-12 jab. She was also given the Convenia injection, which is an antibiotic (no more oral antibiotics now) and a steroid injection with the hope that it might make her feel better.

Sadly, uremia has already set in and this is one of the signs of the final stage of kidney failure. The vet could smell Pole’s uremic breath.

As to why Pole is refusing food, the vet checked and there are no mouth ulcers, but the vet suspects there might be ulcers in the esophagus. To address this, Pole was prescribed Sucralfate which provides a coating over ulcers. The tablet is crushed, added to water and syringe-fed. I also noticed that Pole stopped drinking water two days ago. Perhaps this is due to ulcers in her esophagus which causes pain when swallowing.

Pole was also prescribed Fortekor to address the protein loss. The vet says Pole probably still needs the Kaminox. Again, she has been rejecting the Kaminox too, so I stopped giving her that for a few days.

Feeding Pole anything is a huge challenge now.

Pole’s subcut would have to be increased to 180ml as she is very dehydrated. Luckily, so far, she doesn’t object to the subcut sessions at home.

We are just doing whatever we can to help and support her now, hopefully, to make her feel more comfortable.

The vet hopes that the steroid injection might also give her some appetite by tomorrow.

Rest and feel better soon, Pole.